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| Advocates in keeping New Hampshire a healthy place to live, work, and play . . . |
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Inside NHPHA
A Monthly Column Written by NHPHA Leadership
NHPHA Thanks You for Successful Annual Meeting
written by Marcella Bobinsky, HMP, NHPHA President
It is always a joy to celebrate organizational achievements and thank accomplished professionals. The 2019 NHPHA Annual Meeting provided time for us to do just that. Plus, the community was introduced to young public health professionals through the poster exhibition and the Rising Stars program. My thanks go out to all who participated, attended, sponsored, and supported the first silent auction.
At this meeting, the Board of Directors has the honor of naming annual award winners for the following categories:
- Roger Fossum Lifetime Achievement Award: Audrey Knight
- Friend of Public Health Award: Sally A. Kraft, MD, MPH
- NH Community Health Service Award: The Union Leader
- Rising Star Award: Kelley Gaspa
Outgoing President Rebecca Sky gave the President's award to Katie Robert and Neil Twitchell.
Congratulations to the recipients. You each bring a talent and passion to the work that you do every day. Thanks to those who nominated these outstanding individuals and the organization.
Read more about the annual meeting here.
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NHPHA Transitions
The NHPHA Board of Directors saw changes within the past month, with former Presidents
Jeanie Holt
,
Katie Robert
,
and
Rebecca Sky
; former Vice President Terry Johnson; and former Secretary
Tyler Brandow
stepping down.
 Dr. Sai Cherala is a new addition to the Board. She i
s the
Bureau Ch
ief for Population Health and Community Services
in Division of Public Health Services at New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. In her current role, she oversees all NH DPHS' population health programs, including Nutrition Services (WIC, CSFP), Maternal and Child Health, Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, and Chronic Disease Prevention and Screening. Sai also holds a faculty appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The Board also welcomed
Marcella Bobinsky into the role of President,
Lisa Bujno as President-Elect,
Michael Reaves as Secretary, and
Shannon Bresaw as Vice President. Thank you all for taking on key leadership positions at NHPHA. And thank you to Jeanie, Katie, and Tyler for your service! We'd also like to thank
Rebecca Sky for her dedication during her tenure as NHPHA President.
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NHPHA Annual Meeting:
Rising Stars and Silent Auction Wrap-Up
The Annual Meeting in early April was a great success, and NHPHA was very pleased with the Rising Stars students in our midst. The winners of the Student Poster Session were
Sage Lincoln and
Vanessa Grunkemeyer.
 Sage Lincoln, an undergraduate student at Colby-Sawyer College, conducted a project entitled "
Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health While Reducing Stigma in College Students at Colby-Sawyer College." Sexual health becomes increasingly important as young adults gain independence. However, due to the current state of sexual education in the United States, many individuals are not properly educated on sexual health topics or safe practices. This hypothetical intervention project considers a mandatory sexual education graduation requirement at the college level, supplemental education opportunities outside of the classroom, and additional resources for students. The potential intervention is designed for implementation at Colby-Sawyer College to improve health outcomes in the college-age population. Completion and evaluation of this program could influence other colleges to implement similar programs to benefit their student populations.
Vanessa Grunkemeyer, a graduate student at UNH, conducted a project entitled
"Assessment of Biosecurity at Live Poultry Vendors in NH." Every year thousands of hatchling poultry birds are sold at secondary vendors, such as feed and garden stores, in NH. These birds represent a public health risk primarily because poultry can asymptomatically shed multiple species of enteric bacteria, including nontyphoidal
Salmonella spp., that are potentially zoonotic. This project consisted of the development and application of an assessment tool to evaluate the biosecurity at second-party live poultry vendors in NH. The ultimate goal in analyzing the data from these assessments is to identify areas for improvement in biosecurity to reduce the risk of disease transmission from these birds.
Read more about the annual meeting, including our career panel, here.
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National Public Health Week a Success in NH
During National Public Health Week, Winnipesaukee Public Health Region delivered the popular and lifesaving Stop the Bleed to members of the public.
Pictured at right are Jack and his grandmother Kathleen learning critical Stop the Bleed skills in a recent community training class.
To read more about events that happened during National Public Health Week, visit
http://www.nphw.org/.
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Hepatitis A Outbreak in New Hampshire Accelerating
 The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS) Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) has announced that there has been a significant increase in the number of people in New Hampshire diagnosed with hepatitis A. The rate at which cases are being reported are concerning; 33 hepatitis A diagnoses were made in March alone. Since November 2018, 79 people have been diagnosed with hepatitis A, compared to an average of six to seven people annually in recent years. The hepatitis A cases diagnosed since November have occurred in the counties of Hillsborough (36), Strafford (17), Rockingham (10), Merrimack (10), Cheshire (2), Grafton (2), Sullivan (1), and Carroll (1) Counties. One person from Merrimack County has died.
"Hepatitis A is spread by unknowingly getting the virus in your mouth after touching or eating items that are contaminated with small amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person or caring for someone who is ill," said Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control. "Hepatitis A is preventable with a safe and effective vaccine, which is vital to stopping this outbreak. People at high risk for infection should talk with their healthcare provider about getting vaccinated."
Read more here.
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NH Gives Is Back!
 Following on last year's success, NHPHA is participating again in
NH Gives, which is happening
June 11-12, 2019. NH Gives, an initiative of the NH Center for Nonprofits, is a powerful, statewide, 24-hour online fundraising event that is designed to build community, connect donors to local nonprofits, and generate excitement about the nonprofit sector.
We are planning some fun activities for NH Gives this year, including hosting some testimonials and video snippets on Facebook live and some challenges to up the ante. We are certain we can exceed our goals from last year and hope you will be a part of it. Watch for more details and opportunities to get involved, which are forthcoming!
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NHPHA Discusses Its Policy Position Statement
on Cannabis
written by Rebecca Sky, former NHPHA President
At the end of January, the NHPHA Board of Directors approved a new
policy position statement regarding cannabis. This was a result of much study, consultation with locally and nationally recognized subject-matter experts, and dialogue by both our policy committee and board of directors. The evidence base of what works and what doesn't is ever expanding. The goal of our position statement is to allow NHPHA to share with decision-makers the science-backed evidence that is available regarding the pros and cons of various cannabis public policy approaches and the overall health impact of cannabis throughout the human life course. If you would like to be a part of the evolution of NHPHA's work in this arena, please contact Jess Barnett at the NHPHA office at
[email protected], who will connect you with the NHPHA Policy Committee.
To learn more about the process NHPHA undertook to develop this policy statement,
click here.
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NHPHA Communications Committee Is Recruiting
NHPHA is looking for members who are interested in marketing, communications and health promotion to join the Communication Committee. Please note you do not need experience to join. This is a great opportunity for any NHPHA member
but especially
for the student members who would like to be more involved in public health. The Communications Committee is responsible for keeping members informed in a timely manner of activities of NHPHA and supporting all of the communication activities between the Board, NHPHA membership and those interested in public health programs and initiatives. The Communications Committee utilizes various methods to keep NHPHA members current, including a member-to-member listserv, e-newsletter, Facebook, and website.
For more information about joining the Communications Committee, please contact the Communications Committee Co-Chairs: Lisa Vasquez at [email protected] or Christin D'Ovidio at [email protected].
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Membership Renewal Pins.
The committee has purchased NHPHA pins as a way to say thank you to our members when they renew. We hope you will wear your pins with pride at NHPHA and other public health events. Pins can be picked up at NHPHA events, or to coordinate a pickup, please email Marcella Bobinsky at [email protected].
Updating Contact Information. In order to communicate with our members in a more meaningful way, we will be actively collecting your personal email addresses. It has come to our attention that our communications are not always reaching you at your place of employment due to stringent firewalls. Please contact Jess Barnett at
[email protected] to provide or update your information. Then, kindly add " [email protected]" to your address book so that we may reach you with important updates.
New and Renewing Members
We'd like to welcome our new member:s
Krista Bouchard, Courtney Ellison, and
Emma Steele
A special shout-out to our renewing members:
Annie Averill, Marcella Bobinsky, Sai Cherala, Patty Crooker, Crissie Ferrara,
Brittany Foley, William Goodman, John Martin, Sally Minkow, Fred Rusczek, Lissa Sirois, J.J. Smith, Neil Twitchell, CJ Young, and
Carly Zimmerman
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May 2 - NHPHA is again co-sponsoring the Healthy Homes Legislative Breakfast from 7:30 to 10 a.m. in the State House dining room. This is a chance to interface with Legislators about Healthy Homes issues and why they are important for a healthy New Hampshire.
June 13-14 - "Capturing the Emerging Issues of Community and Public Health," the New England Public Health Conference, provided by Saint Anselm College; will be held at the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport, ME. Visit www.saintanselm.edu/cne for more information!
To have your upcoming event included in the next issue of the NHPHA e-Newsletter,
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Need to Renew Your NHPHA Membership?
To Renew by Mail:
Go to http://nhpha.org/membership. Choose the individual or organizational membership application to print and fill out. Send the application and check (payable to NHPHA) and mail to NHPHA, 4 Park Street, Suite 403, Concord, NH 03301.
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NHPHA would like to acknowledge and thank the following funders
for their continued generosity and support:
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For information on donating or becoming a member of NHPHA, click
here.
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Your feedback is very important to us. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions for the NHPHA e-Newsletter,
email us!
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2018 Affiliate of the Year of the American Public Health Association
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